What Did He Fail At?

Nobody’s a private detective because they grew up dreaming of one day being a private detective. They all started out somewhere else, screwed it up, and ended up doing this. Most P.I.’s are former cops or spies or soldiers, but there are lots of other respectable (and not-so-respectable) jobs with a skill set that can be adapted to P.I. work when nobody in your field will hire you anymore.

Minor Celebrity

Hired Goon

Blue Collar Worker

Athlete

Soldier

Bodyguard

Beat Cop

Journalist

Crime Scene Investigator

Intelligence Analyst

Police Detective

G-Man

Security Consultant

S.W.A.T. Team Member

Special Forces Soldier

Political Activist

White Collar Professional

Entertainer

Political Operative

Spy

What Makes Him A Scumbag?

As Bruce Willis observed in The Last Boy Scout, “All private detectives are scumbags.” This table provides examples of actions and attitudes that can contribute to a P.I.’s scumbaggery.

Obsessive Compulsive

Drug Addict

Glory Hound

Greedy

Vindictive

Dishonest

Lecherous

Violent

Always In A Bad Mood

Compulsive Gambler

Drunk

Bigot

Lazy

No Filter

Superstitious

Self-Righteous

Know-It-All

Antiquated Worldview

Broken Moral Compass

Roll Twice

Who’s Out To Get Him?

Everybody has enemies.

A Minor Celebrity

A Crime Syndicate

A Drug Cartel

A Street Gang

A Small-Time Criminal

An Former Employer

A Former Ally or Co-Worker

Bill Collectors

An Ex-Lover

A Criminal

A Dirty Cop

A Good Cop

A Former Client

A Former Employee

A Concerned Citizen

A Reporter

The D.A.

A Politician

A Government Agency

A Cult or Secret Society

Who Is His Only True Friend?

Most private detectives only have one, probably because of the whole “scumbag” thing.

A Minor Celebrity

A Vagrant

A Morgue Attendant

A Small-Time Criminal

A Sex Worker

A Bartender/Waitress

A Friend On The Force

His Underappreciated Secretary

An Old Army Buddy

His Dog

A Kid

A Retiree With Nothing Better To Do

A Relative

A Neighbor

A Local Business Owner

A Respectable Citizen

A Political Activist

A Reporter

A Bureaucrat

A Crank

What’s He Got In His Pockets

For some reason, I always imagine private detectives as having a bunch of weird shit in their pockets. This table is for stuff in addition to the normal P.I. pocket contents (gun, hip flask, cigars, note pad and pen, phone, half-eaten sandwich, etc). Once per game, a PC P.I. can roll to see what turns up in his pockets. He may make additional rolls by spending Yum Yums/Acclaim. The cost starts at 1 and increases by 1 for each additional pocket search. Normally, the GM determines the exact nature of the item, but the player can choose if he doubles the YY cost (the cost is 1 for the free pocket reach).